A blessing in disguise is something that seems bad or unlucky at first but later turns out to be good for you. People usually say it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The idiom sounds natural in conversation and in IELTS Speaking; in an essay, it is simpler to write proved beneficial in the end.
When would you say a blessing in disguise?
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be / turn out to be + a blessing in disguise; losing/missing/failing + something + was a blessing in disguise
- Missing the train was a blessing in disguise, because I met an old friend at the station café.
- Failing my first driving test turned out to be a blessing in disguise: I became a more careful driver.
- Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it pushed me to start my own business.
What changed
First versionThe cancelled flight was blessing in disguise: we spent two more days by the sea.
RevisionThe cancelled flight was a blessing in disguise: we spent two more days by the sea.
The article is part of the idiom, just as in a piece of cake, and the phrase sounds wrong without it. A small word like a is easy to drop in a long fixed phrase. The corrected version adds only a.
A silver lining is the one good side of a bad situation, while the situation itself stays bad: The only silver lining was that we got a refund. A blessing in disguise describes the whole event: in the end, it did you good. Losing that client was a blessing in disguise.
Your turn
Losing the match felt terrible at first, but it was a ___ in disguise: the team finally changed its tactics.
Show the answer
blessing — Losing the match was upsetting at first, but then it made the team change, so the defeat did them good. Only a blessing in disguise has this meaning. A curse is something that brings harm or bad luck, which contradicts the good outcome.
Think of a failure that later worked out well for you. Write what happened and what good came of it.
Failing my first job interview was a blessing in disguise: I prepared much better for the next one and got a job at a bigger company.
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